Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to automated application configuration, and, in particular, to a system and method for using DNS to retrieve application configuration settings.
Description of Related Art
Telecommunication network endpoints need to register with a call server in order to establish service. Certain basic information is needed by telecommunication network endpoints in order for the endpoints to attempt registration with their associated call server. The basic information may include server addresses, communication domains (e.g. SIP domain), QoS marking values, server and CA certificates, and other low-level settings. The basic information may also be referred to as application configuration data. Application configuration data commonly includes information related to data connectivity, communication settings, and the like. Application configuration data does not include user preference information such as cosmetic settings (e.g., language, colors, window placement, sound muting, etc.).
Currently, application configuration involves either manual configuration or configuration based on contacting a single defined access point. An access point usually is a URL (i.e., web address) at which the application is pre-configured to query for configuration information. For example, Microsoft Outlook defines an auto-configuration mechanism based on constructing a specific URL for retrieving configuration details based on the user's email address. This is deficient in that many companies have complex requirements necessitating more than a single configuration for deployed applications. For example, a large company may have multiple domains nationwide, each with its own configuration requirements.
Endpoint service discovery provides useful information to configure deployed applications with respect to services that are available to the endpoint. Conventional methods of endpoint service discovery rely upon usage of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (“DHCP”, RFC-2131), and Link Layer Discovery Protocol (“LLDP”) to discover initial options. However, a problem arises for endpoints running in a restricted environment where they do not have access to low-level operating system capabilities. Such endpoints cannot create raw sockets (i.e., a socket that receives all DHCP packets), and thus the endpoints have no access to DHCP or LLDP. Furthermore, endpoints may be running outside an enterprise, and therefore the endpoints have no administrator to set DHCP values. As more soft clients and applications emerge, and as endpoints start to be deployed outside the enterprise, there is a growing need to provide an enhanced mechanism that works regardless of how the endpoint is connected to the network.